Holder for driving nails



United States Patent [72] Inventor: Eric W. Muller 1,688,445 10/1928 Williams 145/46 2011 W. Fargo, Chicago, 1111. 60645 2,802,211 8/1957 Friedman 145/46 [21] Application No ,039 3,316,949 5/1967 Canfield 145/46 [22] led: Sept 1967 Primary Examiner- Robert C. Riordon [45] Patented: 1970 Assistant Examiner- Roscoe V. Parker, Jr.

' Att0rneyHarbaugh and Thomas [54] HOLDER FOR DRIVING NAILS 7 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl. 145/46, 81/43 [51] Int. Cl. 1325c 3/00 [50] Field of Search 145/46, 30; ABSTRACT: A reversely bent strip of flat material having a 1/43 widened bight and two legs urged convergingly into contact with each other with their end portions bent conjointly at right [56] References clued angles in nesting relationship for resiliently receiving and UNITED STATES PATENTS holding shanks of nails in a plurality of positions at the right 1,403,408 1/1922 Hauskama 145/46 ang e turn as introduced into place by sliding the shank 1,508,287 9/1924 Moran 81/43 h r between h nv rging leg y 34 l lri 36 12 '0 2a a l8 l6 l8 llii i Patented Aug. 4, 1970 3,522,827

34 will I 36 I2 '4 I8 I6 28 A III Niki N N o m N F16. 9 IN l/EN TOR Eric W. /Vu//er y W /V Attorneys U.S. PATENT 3,522,827 HOLDER FOR DRIVING NAILS Holders for nails and tacks have been known and used for many years to avoid injury to a persons fingers when driving nails of a small size or in close quarters. They have taken various shapes and forms, but none have had a single or simple form for readily locating nails of any size at any angle acute to the nailing plane as well as upright; none could receive the nail quickly in place, nor be released quickly from the nail with a straightaway movement without interrupting normally administered hammer blows. ()nly one or two can be used with either side up but without any additional utility in the alternativeness such as holding nails at any angle in two or more planes.

ln this connection, reference is made to known holders as represented by Canfield 3,316,949; Williams 1,688,445; Hanskaner 1,403,408 and 'Boelk 696,852, which patents by their dates also show that the holding of nails to start them is along standing and continuing problem.

Although the embodiment ofthe invention is described and explained in connection with a small sized nail, it can also be used with brads, tacks, staples, corrugated cleats or fasteners and the like, and the use herein of the term nail includes various sizes and these kindred fasteners.

The embodiment of the invention disclosed, by way of example, is related to the concept of a simple resilient device in which a nail is slipped rapidly in place longitudinally between converging legs to a position in which it can be left upright or slanted at any angle in either one of two planes to receive starting blows ofa hammer, and thereafter with resumed relative movement in the same relative direction the holder is removed from the started nail to permit final blows of the hammer without interruption of the blows.

The nail positioning means is characterized by both legs being conjointly offset in nesting relation adjacent to their ends to provide angularly oriented side portions, disposed preferably at right angles to each other, with no space normally between them, whereby the nail, regardless of size is resiliently received and gripped in firm and guided relation, either at the apices in erect position or at any angle between either one of the sets of the side walls that are contiguous to the apices. The nails in any of these positions are readily released from between the already spaced apart side wall portions with a further rectilineal movement outwardly past and beyond the apices. Although a right angle at the apices is preferred, such can be somewhat obtuse as long as the paths to and from the bend at the apex are disposed at acute angles to the general line of relative movement of the holder and the nail between the converging legs.

The invention is characterized by its simple construction and multiple utility with either side up in holding a nail at any angle including upright, in either of two planes, when starting the nail with a hammer.

The invention also contemplates a compressive restraint upon a nail once it has been engaged by flexed arms so that it is retained against falling if it slips from a workers fingers while being moved to its desired location and orientation, thus enabling the worker to regrip the nail and complete its insertion without its loss.

The invention is characterized by a simple construction in which springy strip metal or plastic is reversely bent upon itself in a plane perpendicular to its flatness to provide a handle and a readily accessible nail securing guideway between legs that are coextensive within wide tolerances and offset at acute angles in the same direction in resilient nesting relation to form a frictionally attained rightangle detention for holding the nails in any desired orientation for starting with a hammer.

Another object is to provide a nail holder in which all nail orientating surfaces are normal to the nail receiving surface.

Further objects of the invention are to provide an easily understood nail holding tool that is easy to make and efficient in holding a nail for starting purposes; which is easily used both in receiving a nail in a drive oriented position and relinquishing the nail during its driving; and which is sufficiently inexpensive to manufacture to include it in packages of nails for domestic as well as professional uses.

Other and further objects will become apparent from the following description relating to the drawing in which:

FIGURES l and 5 are perspective views ofa nail holder embodying the invention as seen when in actual use with alternate sides up in the respective views;

FIGURES 2 and 4 are top plan views without and with a nail in driving position, respectively;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the nail holder as shown in F IGUlRE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the nail holder in use indicating action motion for easily inserting a nail in place;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view showing the resumed rela tive movement indicated in FIGUIIE 6 for removing the holder from a started nail;

FIGURES 8 and 9 illustrate the ability of the holder to support the nail in various angular orientations on both sides ofits apex; and

FIGURE 10 illustrates the holding ofa staple as representative of other enumerated fasteners.

Referring now to the drawings in further detail, the nail holder It) for a nail 8 is constructed ofa ribbon or strip 12 of flat mild spring steel, or amorphous plastic, which is reversely bent in a direction transversely to its plane to provide a wide bight portion M for a handle and coextensive legs 16 resiliently urged towards each other. The width of the bight facilitates handling and holding the device against a nailing surface and also provides for a readily accessible tapering throat lit between the legs to receive the shank of a laterally moved nail guided relation from the bight towards the ends of the legs I6.

At their contacting ends, the legs are die formed to define nesting angle offsets, each having a sharp included corner apex at 20 between straight entrant sides of each leg offset and particularly the included corner apex between the two straight sides of the offset of the outer leg l6, namely the entrant side 22 and the exit or terminal side 24. The angle at the corner apex 20 is shown as but could be somewhat greater while the angles formed by the sides 22 and 24 to the line of the legs 16 ranges from curved to a total of angles complementary to the corner apex angle and somewhat less than 90 at 26 (FIGURE 2) so that a nail shank 28, moved laterally between the converging legs I6 as shown in FIGURE 6, is easily deflected to the apex 20 by entrant sides 22 and 24 where the angle is sharp enough to oppose further deflection of movement and provide the user with a pronounced perception that the nail is properly located for the use ofthe holder.

After the shank 28 of the nail has come to rest at the apex 20 and it is desired that it be inclined to the nailing surface 30, the head 32 of nail 8 can be inclined between either set of op posing straight side walls 22 and 24 in either of two planes as shown in FIGURE 8 or FIGURE 9. This position can be established by the user all in one movement of the nail with the holder free or held against the nailing surface. Complete universal adaptability is thereby afforded since the holder can be moved on the nailing surface if the plane of inclination is to be corrected.

The length of the side portions 22 and 24 are preferably equal to their width so that nails can be canted as much as 45 in either direction in each plane if desired.

After the nail 8 has been started by suitable blows of the hammer 34, the sides 36 of the bight 14 can be pulled or a tingertip dropped into the open interior of the bight and pulled in the direction shown in FIGURE 7 and the legs 16 will easily spread at the offset and quickly release the nail without necessarily interrupting the sequence of the hammer blows.

It will be observed that the nesting relation of the angle portions 22 and 24 of legs 16 is not only easily formed with suitable dies in substantially exact nesting registry within wide production tolerances and in nesting relation, but with the work hardening of the metal and mutual support afforded, the

holder is extremely rugged against damage if inadvertently hit by the hammer 34 with nail starting blows when the holder is being held at the bight 16 by finger or thumb .38 flat on the nailing surface 30.

In FIG. the handling of a staple 40 as a nail is shown as representative of other kindred fasteners.

Having described the embodiment and operative characteristics thereof, it will be understood how nails of any size are automatically accommodated and are easily inserted with great rapidity to be held in either one of two planes disposed normal to a nailing surface at a distance safeguarding the fingers. Also it will be noted that the nails can be held to within a small fraction of an inch of a wall and toed therein with either side of the holder up. As a matter of personal convenience, the holder can be clipped to a pocket, stored on a peg or tied to a string for convenience.

Thus it will be understood how the stated objects are attained and how modifications and changescan be made in the embodiment disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the claims.

I claim:

1. A nail holder for driving nails comprising a handle, coextensive legs of flat, resilient material carried by said handle and urged towards each other, said legs being conjointly offset to provide angularly oriented straight side portions in nested relationship spaced from said handle and defining a sharp included corner angle at the included apex of the outer offset portion which is defined by sets of substantially straight entrant and exit sides for engaging the shank of a nail in sup-.

ported relation above a nailreceiving surface.

2. The combination defi'ried in Claim 1 in which an integral portion of said flat resilient material is reversely bent upon itself to provide a bight portiori forming said handle.

3. The combination defined in Claim 1 in which said sharp included corner angle ranges from approximately to somewhat obtuse and the total of the included angles formed by the nesting portions with the line of the legs being complementary thereto.

4. The combination called for in Claim 1 in .which the portions of the legs between said handle and the entrance to said side portions define a converging throat for the reception and passage of the shank of a nail into engagement between said nesting side portions.

5. The combination called for in Claim 1 in which the handle rests flat against a nail receiving surface for manual holding by a finger to support a nail erectly at said apex.

6. The combination defined in Claim 1 in which said entrance and exit side portions are as long as they are wide to ac commodate nail shanks therebetween at an angle of 45 to the nail receiving surface.

7. The combination defined in Claim 2 in which the bight is wide enough to receive a users finger for withdrawing it from a nail. 

